Santa Sofia Lugana Veneto 2014

21 March 2016By Yvonne

Santa Sofia Lugana Veneto 2014 $22 ★★★½  This super-dry Italian white wine is made from 100% trebbiano grapes grown in the Lugana DOC area of Lombardy in the northern part of the country. With deliciously complex aromas of almond meal, oats, lime and sea breezes, it’ll definitely appeal to anyone who likes to explore whites … Read More

Three reasons we should toast today

19 March 2016By Yvonne

Published NZ Herald Sat 19 Mar 2016   Reasons to be cheerful.  On this day in 1932 the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, on the same day in 1957 Elvis Presley bought Graceland and today in 1984, the TV show ‘Kate & Allie’ premiered.  Let’s raise a toast to random trivia…   Amisfield Central Otago … Read More

Wine Talk: Spicy Reds

15 March 2016By Yvonne

Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 15 Mar 2016   One of the most common questions I’m asked next to “Mum where are my socks?” and “Do you know where the toilets are? (I must have one of those ‘she-knows-where-the-toilets-are faces)?” Is “Yvonne why must I pay so much money to buy a bottle of wine … Read More

Three bottles to watch TV with

12 March 2016By Yvonne

Published NZ Herald Sat 12 Mar 2016   I’ve always been big on pairing wine with TV.  These glorious drops got me through a Netflix binge of the pantswettingly funny ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’.  They’re great sips for sore ribs.   Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes … Read More

Seifried Nelson Zweigelt 2014

10 March 2016By Yvonne

Seifried Nelson Zweigelt 2014 ★★★½ Zweigelt is rare and rather crazy red wine that was purpose-built (although for what purpose is unclear) in 1922 by Austrian viticulture professor Fritz Zweigelt, from a crafty cross-dressing of It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch.  Now while you’re still silently mouthing how to say the latter, … Read More

Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014

10 March 2016By Yvonne

Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014 $22 ★★★½  Bright peppery aromatics, fresh plum and hints of dark cherry merge with a faint medicinal hit on the nose.  Punchy and vibrantly structured in the mouth, it’s a talented teenager ready to hit his straps.  Spicy, lively and could actually give some of the Hawke’s Bay syrah’s a run for … Read More

Italian Invasion

8 March 2016By Yvonne

Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 8 Mar 2016   I’m hugely fortunate to be the wine writer for Dish, an absolutely fantastic food and wine magazine that launched back in 2004.  A new issue hits the stands every two months and the April-May issue is traditionally when we focus on all things Italian.  This will … Read More

A wine pick for Madonna

5 March 2016By Yvonne

Published NZ Herald Sat 5 Mar 2016   Tonight, after a 32 year wait, I finally get to see Madonna perform live.  Madonna.  Fizzing doesn’t begin to describe the feeling.  How does that relate to my wine picks this week?  Well I suppose one of them also happens to be white and Italian…   Cento … Read More

Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon 2014

2 March 2016By Yvonne

Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon 2014 $30 ★★★★½  I love the fragrance of passionfruit curd, lemon blossom and hints of herbaceousness in this wine. Crafted from prime Hawke’s Bay sauvignon blanc, blended with a splash of semillon and sauvignon gris, it’s an out-there kind of style that’s less of a ‘sauvignon’ and more a … Read More

Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011

1 March 2016By Yvonne

Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 ★★★★ The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes from the façade of the 14th century Sicilian Santagostino Monastry in Trapani, so yes, the bottle looks good, but it tastes like money too. Liquorice, raspberry, dusty rose and pepper aromatics merge with rosehip and pomegranate flavours, fresh acidity, … Read More